20 years of implementing the UNESCO Convention for the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage

Provincial leaders attend the conference

Attending the conference, on the side of Nam Dinh province, there were comrade Pham Gia Tuc, member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee; comrades members of the Standing Committee of the Provincial Party Committee; Standing members of the Provincial People's Council and People's Committee; leaders of departments, branches, sectors and localities in the province.

Comrade Tran Le Doai, Member of Provincial Party Committee, Vice Chairman of Provincial People's Committee delivered a welcome speech at the conference and workshop.

On the side of the Ministry of Culture, Sports and Tourism, there were comrade Le Thi Thu Hien, Director of the Department of Cultural Heritage; Associate Professor, Dr. Dang Van Bai, Vice Chairman of the National Cultural Heritage Council; representatives of the National Institute of Culture and Arts; scientists in the field of cultural heritage. Also attending the workshop were representatives of the Department of Culture, Sports and Tourism, typical artisans in religious practices of 22 provinces and cities with heritage: Ho Chi Minh City, Thua Thien - Hue, Thai Binh, Thanh Hoa, Hung Yen, Hai Phong, Vinh Phuc...

Comrade Pham Gia Tuc, member of the Party Central Committee, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee and provincial leaders presented the conference organizing committee with a beautiful flower basket.

Speaking at the conference, Vice Chairman of the Provincial People's Committee Tran Le Doai emphasized: Located in the center of the Southern Red River Delta, in the historical process of the nation, Nam Dinh land contains many cultural values of the Vietnamese people; including the worship of Duc Thanh Tran (Holy Father) and Thanh Mau Lieu Hanh (Holy Mother) - 2 indigenous beliefs with profound humanistic values, deeply imprinted in the consciousness of the people of the whole country with the proverb "August is the death anniversary of the Father, March is the death anniversary of the Mother". Nam Dinh province is considered the center of the Mother worship belief with typical relics such as: Phu Day relic complex (Vu Ban), Phu Quang Cung - Phu Nap relic (Y Yen), ... and many other places to worship the Holy Mother. “The practice of the Vietnamese Mother Goddess Worship” was recognized as a representative intangible cultural heritage of humanity, affirming the great global values of the heritage, contributing to the richness and diversity of human culture, reflecting the country's proactive and active integration with the international community.

Drum performance to welcome the conference

2023 marks the 20th anniversary of the Convention for the Safeguarding of the Intangible Cultural Heritage adopted by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). The Convention aims to preserve, conserve, disseminate and promote the value of intangible cultural heritage in human life. Increase awareness and participation of local and national communities; thereby promoting international cooperation and support in this field. The Convention has global value and has achieved great results when the world emphasizes the importance of intangible cultural heritage. To date, Vietnam has 15 intangible cultural heritages recognized by UNESCO; including the heritage "Practice of the Vietnamese Mother Goddess Worship". The conference was held as an opportunity to evaluate the overall effectiveness of the implementation of the Convention in Vietnam; Results of State management in protecting and promoting the value of intangible cultural heritage "Practicing the Vietnamese Mother Goddess Worship" and implementing the National Action Program for the period 2017-2022 on protecting and promoting heritage values in Nam Dinh province.

The presentations at the conference focused on clarifying the results of implementing the UNESCO Convention, the management, protection and promotion of the value of the intangible cultural heritage "Practice of the worship of the Mother Goddesses of the Three Realms of the Vietnamese" in Nam Dinh and localities across the country; the role and responsibility of State management agencies on the worship of the Mother Goddesses; the role and responsibility of artisans in preserving the pure value of "Practice of the worship of the Mother Goddesses of the Three Realms of the Vietnamese"; community activities in preserving the value and teaching the practice of the heritage since it was honored by UNESCO... From there, solutions were proposed, directions, tasks and implementation plans were determined in the coming time, continuing to implement the National Action Program to protect and promote the value of the heritage "Practice of the worship of the Mother Goddesses of the Three Realms of the Vietnamese" according to the commitment in the nomination dossier with UNESCO for the period 2023-2028.

Cultural program of the Provincial Traditional Arts Theater

At the conference, Secretary of the Provincial Party Committee Pham Gia Tuc and provincial leaders presented flower baskets to congratulate the Organizing Committee. Groups of artisans practicing Mother Goddess worship from provinces and cities performed typical Chau Van performances.

Within the framework of the event, from November 29 to 30, at the relic sites of Phu Van Cat, Phu Tien Huong, Phu Quang Cung, Phu Bong (Nguyet Du Palace), vibrant religious practice activities will take place, attracting the participation of many artisans and tourists from all over the world./.

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